What is a Clarifier?
Multi-Compartment Clarifiers are essential in many water recovery systems and help as a first-step in a water treatment process for both water reuse or discharge applications. Functionally, clarifiers force the water to dwell for a period of time in the multiple chambers of the clarifier and to change direction of the flow path. This process forces sediment to drop out and allows free oils to separate from the water and rise to the surface. Solids and oils are thereby trapped in the compartments for later removal. The traditional method for adapting a clarifier to an application is to locate a concrete vault, which is separated into a minimum of three compartments, in the ground and allow the water to enter, pass through and exit the clarifier by gravity flow. The water can then flow downstream and be discharged to sewer or be pulled from the cleanest chamber for further filtration for reuse. Disadvantages associated with Below Ground Clarifier Systems: Clarifiers require permitting fo